About Our Program

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The cornerstone of the IMPACT DC program is our clinical and educational intervention, targeted to children with frequent emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, missed school days, and other markers of poorly controlled asthma.

Our goal is to steer children away from episodic use of the ED for their asthma management, and towards more effective primary long-term asthma care and ultimately healthier lives. To that end, we not only provide services directly to families, but also work to strengthen the linkages among all those providing asthma care to the child – in the schools, community,and health care system.

Greater than 100 percent increase in the use of controller medications

Nearly 50 percent in subsequent ED visits

Sustained improvements in numerous measures of quality of life

Intervention

The IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic provides comprehensive asthma education, medical consultation and care coordination using a novel approach that is consistent with current national guidelines for asthma care.

The clinic typically sees children within two weeks of an ED visit or hospitalization for an acute exacerbation, or by referral, for a 90-minute visit where they meet with an asthma educator and a physician or nurse practitioner. Taking advantage of the “teachable moment” that naturally occurs after the crisis of an asthma attack, clinic staff focus on three key elements of asthma care:

Medical Care

Detailed assessment of asthma severity and control

Education on the basic anatomy and physiology of asthma with emphasis on its chronic nature